Attitude - Global Social Innovation Centre

Delivers a world class center for international leadership and excellence

Help fulfill the objectives of the United Nation's Millennium Project

Provide practical solutions for local, national and global sustainability

The first initiative of the Global Social Innovation Centre is a Life Preservation Accord between Australia and the United States. The accord would be established between two of the world’s most fire prone States, Victoria and California and would represent the creative response to Australia’s worst natural disaster and the fear that stalks the largest state in the union - wildfire . (See “When hell breaks loose, getting together will save lives,” Sunday Age, Opinion Page, 21 November 2010.) This Life Preservation Accord would link the countries at the national, corporate and academic level with agencies including fire fighters and environment protection in both countries. This proposal would begin between Victoria and California but would not be limited.

Keys components include

World class fire prevention

Tracking and mapping

Communications for crisis management

Improved fire fighting intelligence

The value proposition of the Global Social Innovation Centre can be graphically expressed through this creative response to the bushfires seared into Australia’s psyche as Black Saturday, bushfires that claimed 173 lives and cost an estimated four billion dollars. The Royal Commission inquiry cost a further $40 million. One of its most chilling revelations was that the expert conducting the predictive mapping of the fires was in a back room of the Incident Control Centre. Incredibly, there was no communication between him and the chief fire officer of the Country Fire Authority. Nor did the intelligence reach fire fighters on the frontline.

GLV can provide access to an invention called “broadband in a suitcase”. This vital piece of technology is designed for disasters. It would allow fire fighters and the public to upload vision and photographs taken on their mobile phones or cameras to broadband via satellite for rapid response and tracking. This easily deployable technology - that literally fits in a suitcase - could save lives and prevent millions of dollars in damage. Photographs taken by members of the public, as happened on Black Saturday would be used to provide real time information to experts planning the disaster response.

Australia-US Alliance

It’s time to extend the Australia-US alliance to include a Life Preservation accord. There could be no more practical and symbolic example of the benefit of our relationship than combining the innovation and nous of two of the world’s most advanced nations would save lives, help communities survive and prove why the alliance matters beyond military ties, trade and space junk.

The GLV would provide the creative response to one of the Royal Commission’s most damning findings that it was “unacceptable that effective coordination of information systems has not been achieved” and information flows could not be managed. Interest is high in California from Silicon Valley executives to universities to deliver a world class fire prevention, tracking, mapping, and communications strategy with Victoria that would deliver a new template for Australia, America and other bushfire prone countries.

The GLV would discover such life saving and life changes initiatives, showcase them, help implemented them and define their value.